4 channel vs 5/7/10/infinity

[bearcatsandor]

Folks,

I hope to be putting together an audio system soon and use monoblock amps. I am interested in surround, but my listening habits are about 80% music 20% TV/DVD.

I have listened to 5 channel surround systems and have been unimpressed by the presentation of the sound. That is to say, the air around instruments, the sound staging, the fine details. Adding a center channel in the front and back seems to make the sound stage yell "I am the LEFT, I am the CENTER, I am the RIGHT", instead of a natural round centered image.

So, I'm looking at a 4 channel system instead: right, left, back right, back left. IT would seem to me that you could reproduce a center channel in the rear and front with equal volume between the two sides and reproduce sides with equal volume between the front left/front back and front right/back right. Couldn't you cause sound to rotate around you by simply changing these levels, instead of surrounding yourself in speakers?

What will i gain and loose by going 4 channel only instead of spending the money on 8 full range speakers and amps. I'm looking at Red Dragon amps and MBL speakers so if i can avoid getting 4 pairs of everything :0

Thoughts?

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I have listened to 5 channel surround systems and have been unimpressed by the presentation of the sound. That is to say, the air around instruments, the sound staging, the fine details. Adding a center channel in the front and back seems to make the sound stage yell "I am the LEFT, I am the CENTER, I am the RIGHT", instead of a natural round centered image.

Then the setup was faulty. Adding a center channel (with a discrete source) will do the exact opposite of what you describe. I cannot speak much for the center rear since there are very few sources with discrete info for such a channel. My advice is to get a better demo.

Kal

 

[sspsandy]

I run my whole system through a Tate II using a vintage quad receiver. It does a bangup job on TV broadcasts and stereo DVDs as well as 2 channel and mono music of all kinds. For DVD-A, SACD, and 5.1 DVDs I added a separate stereo receiver run in mono mode with 2 small speakers run as a pair for the center channel.

 

[neil wilkes]

After hearing a presentation for DTS-HD in 7.1, I can clearly understand the benefits of adding the extra 2 at the rear, and moving the "traditional" Ls/Rs further around, making the additions Lm/Rm.
The balance is a lot better.
Although to play devils advocate with myself, if the Ls/Rs are correctly sited there is no problem.
And also it has been hard enough getting Joe & Jane Sixpack to go for 5 speakers - getting them to add in 7 or 9 is going to be futile, and probably a gimmick to try & sell BRD/HD DVD.